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More Muppet Show end caps

by: Henson Associates, Inc., ITC Entertainment, Associated TeleVision, Henson International Television

Topics: The Muppet Show, Muppets, ITC Entertainment, Associated TeleVision, Zoot, lost media

Language: English

Many of the ITC and ATV Zoot endings (along with some of the plaster versions) have been archived by Ocpmovie here, but I decided to post a few more. Special thanks and credit to all who found these endings.

Due to sloppy plastering and dubbing, the Spanish release of "Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff" ("Gonzo y sus extrañas aventuras") not only keeps the 1977 ITC end cap from the Julie Andrews episode, but doesn't reinstate the original audio, instead having the Season 5 closing theme (though with the louder piano note heard in the Melissa Manchester and Buddy Rich episodes) off-sync with the visuals.

As "The Muppet Revue"/"Kermit and Fozzie's Favorites" has the Statler & Waldorf tag from the Juliet Prowse episode (though it cuts to the S3/S4 orchestra shot and the S5 Zoot/Rowlf shot), it's possible that the Spanish version ("Recuerdos de Gustavo y Fozzie") may or may not have kept the end tags to that episode.

The 15-episode Japanese dub that aired on TV Asahi in 1981 kept the original ITC/ATV end caps, but of these, the only episode whose JP ending has been found is the Elton John one. Special thanks to Mikio Nakade (@NakadeSam on YouTube) for finding this!

The other 14: Rita Moreno, Paul Williams, Charles Aznavour, Sandy Duncan, Candice Bergen, Vincent Price, Cleo Laine, Julie Andrews, Peter Sellers, Petula Clark, Loretta Lynn (!), Raquel Welch, Harry Belafonte (!!!), and Cheryl Ladd.

The Loretta Lynn ending has Zoot playing the note poorly at the train station, and Rowlf facepalms in the background.

The ATV print of the episode has a couple of Statler & Waldorf inserts added after the intro and closing number, along with a different after-credits scene, as it was the finale to ITV's second broadcast season on April 23, 1978. Only transcripts and a few photos of this print seem to be public.

The Danny Kaye episode also had a different ending for its ATV print, due to airing on the Christmas of 1978. Statler & Waldorf are joined by other Muppets in festive garb, singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to applause.

After the ATV end cap, Kermit and Fozzie appear in a promo for Diamonds Are Forever and The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show. Considering the quality of this capture, this might be the clearest video of the 1978-1980 Zoot end shot I’ve seen so far.

For some odd reason, the Crystal Gayle episode has the 1978 ITC end cap despite being a 1979 episode; this copyright error carries over to the Sax & Violence (Disney Channel and Nickelodeon) print.

Three other episodes have the 1978 date in those particular prints: Lynn Redgrave, Shields & Yarnell, and Linda Lavin, so it's likely the gaffe goes back to the ITC end caps of those episodes. It is unknown if this error also affects the HIT, TNT (Jim Henson Productions "Kermit Hand"), and/or Odyssey/CTS prints.

Currently, there are still no publicly-circulating videos of the end caps (both ITC and ATV) from the Harry Belafonte (the Spirit mask plays the note, abruptly having the saxophone), Roger Miller (the chickens play the final piece, with the ITC and ATV logos on both the orchestra and Zoot shots), and Dudley Moore (Animal faints from crashing into MAMMA) episodes, all of which are nearly extinct.

Moore’s is thought to have different end music (the romantic music in the UK Spot) in the ATV version, but this has not been confirmed. The ITC end cap for Belafonte is only available at the Paley Center for Media’s print of the episode. Dual orchestra/Zoot logos fade out immediately after the note, and Miller’s episode is one of four to do so.

For the moment, only screenshots circulate of these endings, until anyone turns up with original airings of these episodes.

In the ITC masters for S1 episodes, the orchestra ending shot contains the ATV logo right before Zoot's ITC. On the Joel Grey, Ruth Buzzi, Rita Moreno, and Jim Nabors (and possibly Harvey Korman) episodes, ATV has a copyright notice. On the other episodes, ATV has no notice.

It should be noted, however, that the finished Juliet Prowse and Connie Stevens' episodes were given material from a much later taping, so the copyright notices may only be there in the pilot versions.

It hasn't been disclosed as to why they needed two different masters for ITC (centered credits) and ATV (rearranged and left-aligned credits, with less break transitions), but far more of the ITC prints seem to have survived. That said, the original American broadcasts did apparently have ATV credits on a few occasions, and the only episodes not known to have ITC masters are Florence Henderson, Candice Bergen, and Chris Langham. The ATV-ITC copyright may or may not have been ditched from Henderson's episode and on for the season. Since Langham's episode had been taped after ITC ditched the ATV byline in favor of ACC (Associated Communications Corporation), it may have appeared there as well.

Similarly, a film print of the Lesley Ann Warren episode (once shown on TVARK) has the ATV opening logo…and the 1978 ITC end cap, implying there might not be proper ATV masters of certain episodes, either. (That said, the print had deteriorated to a severe degree.)

Not only does this apply to The Muppet Show, it also applies to the 1981 special The Muppets Go to the Movies, which was the last thing taped on the original Muppet Show sets. Palace Video released the ATV version late in the 1980s, which is more common in circulation. An original recording of the ITC version on ABC can be viewed here. The footage and dialogue during the closing credits differs between the prints, and exclusive to the ATV version is Zoot playing the final note offscreen.

As for the pilots, The Muppets Valentine Show originally ended with the Muppets, Inc. logo ("A Muppet Production"), which lasted up to the Nickelodeon print.

The only circulating print of Sex & Violence has the DVD edit of the closing credits: After the "Metrotape East" credit, the video cuts to Sloth's entrance while the music fades out, followed by a blank-background version of the "Muppets Holding Company, LLC" copyright.

It's likely the original master of the special would've had a similar version of the Muppets, Inc. logo after the Metrotape credit, the end theme properly finishing, and then cutting to the Sloth clip.

Additionally, The Muppets Go Hollywood ended with the logo for Marble Arch Productions, instead of the ITC atom as seen in unofficial edits of the special.